Storage system

ABSTRACT

A storage system for sheeted objects such as clothes, including a storage unit, formed of a first component and a second component, and a rail assembly which includes a main rail and an extension portion in the form of at least one pivotally or telescopically connected rail element. The element is adapted to be supported in an extended condition, externally of the first component, so as to increase the effective length of the rail assembly when the second component is in an open condition.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to a storage system. More particularly, theinvention relates to a storage unit or wardrobe having a hanging spacewhich is reduced when the unit is closed, and increased when the unit isopen. The invention has particular application to hanging sheetedobjects such as clothes, towels, blankets, bed sheets, suspension files,paper documents, drawings and the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A wardrobe for hanging clothes is a common piece of furniture found inalmost every household. The traditional wardrobe has a fixed hangingspace which cannot generally be utilised to its maximum capacity. As thenumber of clothes in the hanging space increases, it becomesincreasingly difficult to take out the clothes or hang additionalclothes on a clothes hanging rail. Additionally, if the clothes are hungas compactly as possible, it becomes difficult to browse through one'sfavorite clothes to make a selection of what to wear.

OBJECT OF INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide a system for hanging sheetedobjects, such as clothes, which allows for compact storage and whichallows for the hanging space to be increased for ease of browsingthrough, taking out or hanging the sheeted objects.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the detailed description which follows, or may belearned by practice of the invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a storagesystem including:

a first component for providing a hanging space for receipt of sheetedobjects;

a second component adapted to couple to the first component to define astorage unit and movable between an open and a closed condition; and

a rail assembly including a main rail coupled to the first component atone end, for hanging the sheeted objects therefrom when the secondcomponent is in the closed condition and an extension portion coupled tothe second component at the other end, the extension portion beingextendible relative to the main rail upon movement of the secondcomponent toward the open condition, whereat the rail assembly is in anextended condition, so as to increase the effective length of the railassembly and allow the sheeted objects to slide onto the extensionportion in order to spread the sheeted objects along the rail assemblywhen the second component is in an open condition.

Preferably, the second component is moved to the open condition byrotating relative to the first component and includes a guide track forreceiving a roller provided at an end of the extension portion, to allowthe extension portion to extend linearly during relative rotation of thesecond component whilst maintaining coupling therebetween.

Preferably, the rail assembly comprises are articulated constructionformed of at least one pivotally connected rail element. Preferably, aplurality of elements are provided, the elements being arranged to pivotin a substantially horizontal plane and fold into the space provided bythe first component when the second component is in the closedcondition. Alternatively, the at least one element is arranged to pivotin a substantially vertical plane.

Preferably, the first component comprises a rear panel, a side panel,and at least a roof portion of the unit and the second component is inthe form of a front panel, pivotally attached to the first component andincludes a side panel and another roof portion whereby, in a closedcondition, the roof portions of the first and second components providea full roof panel and preferably, the first component is pivotallyattached to the second component by a hinge connection provided betweenthe side panel of the first component and the front door panel of thesecond component. Alternatively, the first component includes a basepanel and a rear panel, and the second component includes a front panel,hingedly attached to the base panel.

Preferably, the system includes a carriage assembly upon which the unitis mounted, the assembly allowing the unit to pivot from an upright to ahorizontal orientation and to be subsequently horizontally displaced forstorage. Preferably, the carriage assembly includes a platform, to whichthe unit is hingedly coupled for movement between the upright andhorizontal orientations and guide rails along which the platform slidesfor it to effect horizontal displacement of the units.

Preferably, a second rail assembly is coupled to the first component andarranged to extend, when the second component is in an open condition,substantially parallel to the first rail assembly.

Preferably, the unit includes at least one panel arranged for movementto enhance access to the sheeted objects hanging within the unit andcoupled to the second component via a linkage opening mechanism suchthat movement of the panel results in corresponding movement of thesecond component toward the open condition.

Preferably, the main rail of the rail assembly is supported at anotherend by a support member connected to the first component, the supportmember engaging the main rail from an underside thereof so as not toinhibit sliding movement of a hanger between the main rail and theextension portion.

Preferably, the extension portion is telescopically extendible relativeto the main rail.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

This invention is more fully described, by way of non-limiting exampleonly, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a first embodiment of astorage unit of the invention;

FIG. 2a is a perspective view of the unit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2b is a perspective view of the unit in a partially openedcondition;

FIG. 2c is a perspective view of the unit in a fully opened condition;

FIGS. 3a to 3 d illustrate modifications to the roof of the unit;

FIGS. 4a to 4 e illustrate alternative constructions of a rail assemblyof the unit;

FIGS. 5a to 5 b illustrate another alternative construction of the railassembly;

FIG. 6a is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a storage unitof the invention;

FIG. 6b is a perspective view of the unit of FIG. 6a in a partiallyopened condition;

FIG. 6c is a perspective view of the unit of FIG. 6a in a fully openedcondition;

FIG. 6d is a perspective view of the unit of FIG. 6a, with a modifiedrail assembly, in a fully opened condition;

FIG. 7a is a perspective view of a third embodiment of a storage unit ofthe invention;

FIG. 7b is a perspective view of the unit of FIG. 7a in a partiallyopened condition;

FIG. 7c is a perspective view of the unit of FIG. 7a in a fully openedcondition;

FIG. 7d is a perspective view of the unit of FIG. 7a, with a modifiedrail assembly, in a partially closed condition;

FIG. 7e is a diagrammatic plan view of the unit of FIG. 7e, in a closedcondition;

FIG. 8 illustrates a storage system of the invention;

FIG. 9 illustrates an alternative storage system of the invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a further embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional view of a unit provided with tworail assemblies;

FIG. 12 illustrates a telescopic rail assembly;

FIG. 13 illustrates another telescopic rail assembly;

FIG. 14 illustrates a guide track and roller used for coupling a railassembly of the invention to a second component;

FIG. 15 illustrates a linkage mechanism coupling a panel to a secondcomponent of a unit of the invention;

FIG. 16 is a plan view of a furniture system incorporating a unit of theinvention; and

FIGS. 17 to 19 illustrate alternative linkage mechanisms of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a storage unit (1), in the form of awardrobe (10), in a fully closed condition. The unit (1) includes afirst component (2) and a second component (3) coupled to the firstcomponent (2) and movable between an open and a closed condition. Theunit (1) consists of a front panel (11), a back panel (12), two sidepanels (13, 14), a roof panel (15) and a base panel (16), forming arectangular box-like structure, with the first component including atleast the back panel (12), and the second component (3) including atleast the front panel (11). The hanging space of the wardrobe in thefully closed condition is defined between the front (11) and back (12)panels. Within the said hanging space, there is a collapsible railassembly (17) which is collapsed to fit into the said hanging space,such that only a main rail (17 a) of the said rail assembly (17) spansacross the said hanging space, and all the sheeted objects in thewardrobe are hung by hangers on this rail (17 a) of the rail assembly(17) when the wardrobe is in fully closed condition. The rail (17 a) isperpendicularly fixed to the back panel (12) at one of its ends (17 b)and it is preferred to be fixed at mid-width of the back panel (12) sothat the space within the wardrobe can be utilised most efficiently. End(17 b) of the rail (17 a) is also preferred to be fixed at a convenientvertical distance down from the roof panel (15) such that it issufficient for hangers to be taken from and put on the said railassembly (17) without obstruction. The other end (17 c) of the rail (17a) is joined to an extension portion formed of pivotally coupled railelement(s) of the said rail assembly (17) such that when the wardrobe isin fully opened position, all the elements of the assembly (17) extendto form a continuous horizontal hanger rail. All the sheeted objectsthat are initially hung on the rail (17 a) can then be spread over theextended rail assembly to increase the ease of taking out, putting in orbrowsing through objects on the rail assembly.

FIGS. 2b and 2 c show one preferred embodiment of a storage unit orwardrobe (20) in a partially and fully opened condition, respectively.Basically, a first component (21) of this embodiment of wardrobe (20)consists of back (12), side (13) and base panel (16), and the secondcomponent comprises a door unit (22) which consists of front (11) andside (14) panel. The door unit (22) is joined to the first component(21) by a hinge (23) and when the wardrobe (20) is fully opened as shownin FIG. 2c, the front panel (11) is preferred to be parallel to the sidepanel (13) and naturally the side panel (14) will be parallel to theback panel (12), and the hanging space (24) is defined between the side(14) and back (12). The previously collapsed rail assembly (17) is nowextended to form a continuous rail, with an element (17 d) attached tothe door unit, so as to span horizontally between side panel (14) andback panel (12). The roof panel (15) is preferably formed of twoportions for enhancing accessibility and visibility to the clothes hungwithin the boundary (25) of the first component (21) when the wardrobeis in fully opened position. This is true when the wardrobe (20) height,i.e. the level of the roof panel (15), is substantially lower than theeye-level of the user. If this scenario occurs, it is preferred to havethe roof panel (15) divided into two triangular roof portions (15 a & 15b) such that one of them attaches to the first component (21) and theother one attaches to the door unit (22) as most clearly shown in FIGS.2b and 2 c. This will improve the accessibility and visibility to theclothes, as well as the aesthetic look. Of course, there are many otherways to increase the accessibility and visibility by changing the shapeand position of the roof panel (15), for instance, the roof panel (15)can be formed of a single panel attached to door unit (21) as shown inFIG. 3a, or divided into two panels (15 c) and (15 d) as shown in FIG.3b, or lifted up, as illustrated by the panel (15 e) as shown in FIG. 3cor folded as shown by panel (15 f) in FIG. 3d.

The collapsible rail assembly (17) for embodiment (20) should basicallyconsist of the main rail (17 a) with one end (17 b) fixed to back panel(12) at a suitable position described previously, and an extensionportion, including plurality of rail elements, such as rail element (17d) attached to side panel (14), at least when the wardrobe is in fullyopened position. In one preferred embodiment, the element has its end(17 d) permanently attached to side panel (14). In such a way, when thewardrobe is opened, the collapsible rail assembly (17) unfoldsautomatically following the position of door unit (22) as shown in FIG.2b and eventually, when the wardrobe is in a fully opened condition, asshown in FIG. 2c, the collapsible assembly (17) is extended to form acontinuous hanger rail, spanning between the side panel (14) and backpanel (12). When the wardrobe is closed, the extension portion foldsautomatically relative to the door unit (22) and the main rail,following the position of the door unit (22), and eventually itcollapses into the hanging space defined by the front panel (11) andback panel (12) when the wardrobe is in fully closed condition, leavingthe element (17 a) spanning across the hanging space. FIG. 2b shows theassembly (17) partially collapsed when the wardrobe is opened partiallyand FIG. 2c shows the assembly (17) fully extended when the wardrobe isin fully opened position. In order to achieve the above-mentionedfolding, the assembly (17) preferably consists of three elements (butmay possibly be formed of, for example, four elements), one being themain rail (17 a), and the other elements being hingeably connected toeach other such that they translate and rotate in a horizontal planewhen the wardrobe is opening or closing, and the extension element (17d) may be either hingeably connected or fixed to side panel (14). Theelement (17 e) immediately attached to the main rail (17 a) is preferredto locate at an angle as large as possible (largest being 90 degreewhich is a constraint imposed by the presence of the front panel (11))away from rail (17 a) when the wardrobe is in fully closed position toavoid interference of the element (17 e) to hangers that are hung on therail (17 a). To achieve this requirement, the assembly (17) may havefour elements.

If the width of the side panels (13 and 14) is equal or more than halfof the width of back panel (12), the assembly may consist of fourelements (17 a, 17 e, 17 f and 17 g) as shown in FIG. 4a. The element(17 g) is preferred to be attached to the side panel (14) at a distanceequal to half the width of back panel (12) from front panel (11) toensure a uniform hanging space that facilitates smooth sliding of thesheeted objects on hangers towards the direction of side panel (14) andit is preferred to locate at a height same level as end (17 b). If thesaid element (17 g) is located at a distance less than half the width ofback panel (12) from the front panel (11), a bottle-neck will formtowards the direction of side panel (14) as shown in FIG. 4b. Of course,smooth sliding of the sheeted objects on hangers towards the directionof side panel (14) can also be achieved if the end (17 d) of the hangerrod (17) is attached to the side panel (14) at a distance more than halfthe width of back panel (12) from front panel (11), but the elements (17e, 17 f and 17 g) should be curved to fit in the profile (41) shown inFIG. 4c. When the rail assembly (17) is fully collapsed as the wardrobeis in fully closed position, it will roughly have the configurationshown in FIG. 4d.

If the width of the side panels (13 and 14) is less than half the widthof the back panel (12), the element (17 g) may be of L-shape as shown inFIG. 4e and connected hingeably to side panel (14) in order to obtain auniform hanging space when the hanging rod (17) is fully extended as thewardrobe is in fully opened condition. When the assembly (17) is fullycollapsed as the wardrobe is in fully closed position, it will roughlyhave the configuration shown in FIG. 4f. As a result, the length of eachelement of the collapsible assembly (17) should meet the followingcriteria:

rail (17 a) should be long enough to span across the hanging spacedefined by front (11) and back panel (12) when the wardrobe is in fullyclosed position,

the total length of all the rail and the other three elements (17 e, 17f and 17 g) should be enough to span horizontally across the hangingspace defined by the side (14) and back panel (12) from end (17 b) toend (17 d) when the wardrobe is in fully opened position,

the length of each element (17 e, 17 f and 17 g) should be adjusted sothat they will collapse into the hanging space when the wardrobe is infully closed position and none of them should interfere the hangers hungon the main rail element.

FIGS. 5a and 5 b show another possible configuration of the assembly(17) for a wardrobe in a fully opened and partially closed positionrespectively. The assembly (17) consists of two elements, being mainrail (17 a) and element (17 h). Element (17 h) is hingeably connected torail (17 a) and rotatable along a vertical plane parallel to side panel(13). When the wardrobe is in fully opened position, the element (17 h)will be lifted up and its end (17 d) will be rested on a predeterminedlocation on side panel (14) so that the rail and element (17 h) form acontinuous hanger rail spanning horizontally across the hanging spacedefined between side (14) and back panel (12). Before the wardrobe isclosed, the element (17 h) must be lowered from engagement with the side(14) such that it hangs freely, after which the wardrobe can be closed.It can be seen that the embodiment with the assembly (17) in theconfiguration shown in FIG. 5 is simpler to build but it requires moresteps to open and close the wardrobe.

The arrangement of sheeted objects within the wardrobe should be suchthat when the wardrobe is in a fully closed position, all the objectsshould be hung on the main rail (17 a). When the wardrobe is opened, theobjects still remain hanging on rail (17 a) until the wardrobe is infully opened condition, in which instance the collapsible rail assemblyis full extended to form a continuous hanger rail. The sheeted objectsmay then be spread along the extended assembly (17). This increases theease with which the sheeted objects may be taken out, put in or browsedthrough. Before the wardrobe is closed from a fully opened condition,all the objects must be pushed back onto the rail (17 a), i.e. all thehook parts of the hangers must be hooked on rail (17 a) because theextension portion collapses during closing of the wardrobe. At thisinstance, some of the objects that are hung near the end (17 c) of rail(17 a) may not necessarily be within the hanging space of wardrobedefined when the wardrobe is in fully closed condition. Accordingly, asthe door unit (22) is closing, it will push all the sheeted objects sothat they will be all within the hanging space when the wardrobe is inthe fully closed condition. In such a way, the sheeted objects are ableto be stored in a very compact manner.

It is preferred that the door unit (22) be supported by some means whichrests on the ground in addition to the hinge (23). This is because whenthe wardrobe (20) is in fully opened position and the sheeted objectsare spread across the extended rail assembly (17), the center of gravityof the wardrobe will be shifted to around the center of the hangingspace (24) which will create a overturning moment to the wardrobe. Ifthe door unit (22) is not supported, the wardrobe may be overturnedunless the first component (21) is firmly attached to a fixed position,even though, the hinge (23) which joins the door unit (22) and firstcomponent (21) will experience a great force. Therefore, it is preferredthat the door unit (22) be supported in addition to the hinge (23). Onepossibility is to attach a pair of wheels (26) and (27) to the sidepanel (14) as shown in FIG. 2.

Another embodiment (60) of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 6a to 6c, which show the wardrobe in a closed, partial and fully openedposition respectively. The wardrobe (60), in the fully closed condition,provides a structure which is similar to embodiment (10) shown in FIG.1. Basically, the first component (61) consists of a back panel (12) andbase panel (16) and the second component, or door unit (62), consists ofthe front panel (11). The door unit (62) is hingeably connected to thebase panel (16) along horizontal axis (63), and the front panel (11) ispreferably in a horizontal position when the door unit (62) is fullyopened. The roof panel (15) is preferably attached to the front panel(11) for the purpose of having better accessibility and visibility tosheeted objects when the wardrobe (60) is in the fully opened position.And for the same reason the two side panels (13 and 14) are alsopreferably attached to the front panel (11). This, of course will causethe first component to be structurally weaker because it only comprisesthe base panel (16) and back panel (12), which are joined together alongthe horizontal axis (64) and extra side panels (13 and 14), in two equaltriangular portions, may be provided—where portions (13 a) and (14 a)attach to the second component and portions (13 b) and (14 b) attach tothe first component. This will stiffen the first component and at thesame time will not reduce the accessibility and visibility to theobjects. Of course, the shape of the divided side panels (13 and 14) mayvary as required. A support stand (65) is required to support the railassembly (17), and therefore, the hanging space (66) of the wardrobe(60) in a fully opened position is defined between the support stand(65) and back panel (12) as shown in FIG. 6c.

The rail assembly (17) may consist of a main rail (17 a) and anextension portion in the form of element (67). Element (67) is hingeablyconnected to rail (17 a) and rotatable along a vertical plane parallelto side panel (13). When the wardrobe is in fully opened, the hangerelement (67) may be lifted up and its end (68) rested on top of thesupport (65) as shown in FIG. 6c so that the rail (17 a) and element(67) form a continuous hanger rail spanning horizontally across thehanging space (66) defined between the support (65) and back panel (12).Of course, the rail assembly can be of other configurations, forinstance, a three-element-hanger-rod as shown in FIG. 6d where the mainrail (17 a), and elements (69) and (610) of the rail assembly (17) arehingeably connected to each other, of which elements (69) and (610)translate and rotate in a horizontal plane. Regardless of theconfiguration of the rail assembly (17), the total and individual lengthof the rail and elements making up the assembly (17) should span overthe hanging space defined both when the wardrobe is in fully openedposition and collapse into the hanging space defined when the wardrobeis in fully closed position.

Basically the sheeted object storing and retrieving procedure is thesame as for embodiment (20) except one more extra step is needed toraise the support stand (65) into a vertical position first before therail assembly (17) is extended to form a continuous horizontal hangerrail when the wardrobe is in a fully opened position, and the end (68)of assembly (17) has to be rested on the top of the support stand (65).Vice versa, the support stand (65) must be lowered down before thewardrobe is closed.

Another embodiment (70) of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 7a to 7c which show the wardrobe in a closed, partial and fully opened positionrespectively. The wardrobe (70), in the fully closed condition, providesa structure which is similar to embodiment (10) shown in FIG. 1. Thewardrobe (70) includes a first component (71) which consists of a roofpanel (15), base panel (16), side panels (13, 14) and back panel (12),the second component/door unit (72) consists of the front panel (11).The door unit (72) is opened along the axis perpendicular to the backpanel (12) and is guided along two track runners (73 & 74) fixedperpendicularly to back panel (12). In fully opened position, thehanging space (75) is defined between the front (11) and back panel (12)with the assembly (17) forming a continuous rail, spanning horizontallyacross the said space where a larger hanging space is obtained. Thecollapsible assembly (17) must consist at least two portions, one beinga main rail (17 a), and the other being an extension portion in the formof rail element hingeably connected (or connected by other convenientmeans that enable the assembly to be collapsible) to the rail (17 a).The element is preferably allowed to hang freely about a hinge connectedto end (17 c) of rail (17 a),when the wardrobe is closing and in thefully closed position, as shown in FIG. 7b. When the wardrobe is infully opened position, the element (76) will be rotated to a horizontalposition about the hinge to form a continuous rail and end (77) ofelement (76) rested on the front panel (11), preferably at mid-width ofpanel (11) and at a height of same level as end 17(b). The collapsiblerail assembly may of course consist of more than two portions, say mainrail (17 a), and elements (78) and (79), as shown in FIG. 7d. The end(710) of the element (79) can be fixed to the panel (11) permanently,and each element is hinged so as to translate and rotate within ahorizontal plane. In this way, when the wardrobe (70) is opening, therail assembly will be extended automatically and eventually extend fullyto form a continuous hanger rail when the wardrobe is in fully openedposition. Vice versa when the wardrobe is closing, the hanger rod willbe collapsed automatically and allow the wardrobe to be closed fully.The arrangement of the fully collapsed hanger rail assembly (17) whenthe wardrobe is in fully closed position should be similar to that inFIG. 7e. It is preferred that a pair of wheels (711) and (712) beattached to the front panel (11). as shown in FIG. 7, to prevent thewardrobe from being overturned by the moment created by the door unit(72) when the wardrobe is in opened position.

When the wardrobe is in a fully closed condition, in the form of thebox-like construction of embodiment (10), all of the sheeted objects maybe compacted within the hanging space. The wardrobe may be a freestanding unit, and can be inserted in any horizontal or vertical void ofsuitable size. With wheels attached to the bottom panel (16) when it isin vertical position, or to front panel (11) when it is in horizontalposition, it can be moved from one place to another more easily, like asuitcase. In the standing position, the wardrobe can be attached to anyfixed object (for example the side of a cabinet, wall and the like) thusforming a piece of multi-purpose furniture.

The wardrobe in a fully closed position can be kept as a drawer under acabinet as shown in FIG. 8. Essentially, the said wardrobe is hinged ona horizontal platform of a carriage assembly (81), where the saidwardrobe, in a fully closed condition, can be rotated about the hingefrom a vertical to a horizontal orientation and vice-versa. And theplatform (81) may be rested on runner tracks (82) and (83) attached to afixed position under the cabinet. The wardrobe also can be integratedinto any void, for instance, under a bed as shown in FIG. 9. The saidwardrobe is hinged on a platform of a carriage assembly (91) where thesaid wardrobe, in fully closed position, can be rotated about the hingefrom a horizontal to a vertical orientation and vice-versa. And theplatform (91) may be rested on runner tracks (92) and (93) of thecarriage assembly (91). As such, when the wardrobe is in lying position,the whole wardrobe acts like a drawer under the bed. When the wardrobeis stored in a lying position, the sheeted objects, in the form of forexample, clothes, that were previously hanging in a vertical position,when the wardrobe was in standing position, are in a lying position aswell. This means that the clothes are no longer suspended on the hanger,and the effect of prolonged gravity pull on clothes at contact pointswith a respective hanger is obviated.

Turning now to FIG. 10, where the basic embodiment of a storage unit (1)is again shown in a fully closed condition, and like reference numeralsdenote like parts to those described above, the unit (1) can be seen asincluding a first component (2) and a second component (3) coupled tothe first component (2) and movable between an open and a closedcondition. The unit (1) consists of a front panel (11), a back panel(12), two side panels (13, 14), a roof panel (15) and a base panel (16),forming a rectangular box-like structure, with the first component (2)including at least the back (12) and base panels (16), and the secondcomponent (3) including at least the front panel (11). The hanging spaceof the storage unit (1) in the fully closed condition is defined betweenthe front (11) and back (12) panels. Within the said hanging space,there is at least one (maximum two) collapsible rail assembly (17) whichis designed to collapse telescopically to a length fitting into the saidhanging space, and all the sheeted objects in the storage unit (1) arehung on this length of rail assembly (17) when the storage unit (1) isin fully closed condition. The rail(s) (17) is perpendicularly fixed tothe back panel (12) at one of its ends (17 b) and it is preferred to befixed at mid-width of the back panel (12) for the case of one railassembly so that the space within the storage unit (1) can be utilisedmost efficiently. End (17 b) of the rail (17 a) is also preferred to befixed at a convenient vertical distance down from the roof panel (15)such that it is sufficient for hung objects to be taken from and put onthe said rail assembly (17) without obstruction.

There can be one or two rail assemblies in a storage unit depending onthe stability requirement of the objects hung on the rail(s); an objecthung on two rails is more stable than that hung on just one, i.e. anobject hung on just one rail is more prone to rotate about the railhence it is less stable. FIG. 11 shows one of the possibleconfigurations for the storage unit with two rail assemblies. It ispreferred to have another support near end (17 c) of the rail element(17 a). The said support should be put in such a way that it does notinterrupt the smooth sliding of the hung objects along the rail. FIG. 11shows two possible configurations of support members (A1) and (A2) whichare mounted to side panel (13) and roof panel (15) respectively. It canbe seen from FIG. 11 that both the supports engage the rail from belowto allow the hook of the hanger to slide above it without making anycontact with it which is desired for smooth sliding of the hung objectalong the rails. Although the shape and size of the hooking part of thehangers might vary, bearing the concept shown in FIG. 11 in mind, it ispossible to have a support member near rail end (17 c) which does notobstruct the sliding of hung object. This additional support (either(A1) or (A2)) near rail end (17 c) reduces greatly the strengthrequirement of the rail (17 a) which, without the said support member(A1) or (A2), must be designed as a cantilever fixed on back panel (12).It should be understood that the combination of use of supports (A1) and(A2) shown in FIG. 11 is just a suggestion, other combinations such as(A1) and (A1), (A2) and (A2) can be used as well. A similar designprincipal applies for the case where the storage unit has only one railassembly. The rail assembly can be either supported by (A1) or (A2).

FIG. 12 shows one of the possible configurations of a telescopicallyextendible rail assembly (17). FIG. 12(a) shows the rail assembly infully collapsed condition. It has three elements (A3), (A4) and (A5)with (A3) analogous to (17 a) of FIG. 11. All the elements (A3), (A4)and (A5) are able to slide one over another so that the rail assemblycan be made longer as shown in FIG. 12(b). To ensure smooth sliding ofhung objects along the extended rail, the end of rail element whichattaches to the other rail element must be tapered as shown in FIG.12(b), and the topmost surfaces of all the rail elements (A3), (A4) and(A5) is preferred to be at the same level as shown in FIGS. 12(c) and12(d). FIG. 13 shows another possible configuration of a rail assemblywhich has a conventional telescopic rod which has three elements (A6),(A7) and (A8) with (A6) analogous to (17A). FIGS. 12(a) and (b) show therail assembly in fully collapsed and extended conditions respectively.FIGS. 12(c) and (d) shows the section details of the rail assembly. Therail assemblies shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 need not necessarily be limitedto three elements, and can have two or four or more elements dependingon the extended length required.

In order to make use of the telescopically extendible rail assembly inembodiment (20) shown in FIG. 12 in a more user-friendly manner, it issuggested here that there should be a curved track (A9) attached to doorunit (22) and a pair of rollers (A10) attached to the end of railelement (A5) as shown in FIG. 14. FIG. 14(a) shows the plan view ofembodiment (20) with telescopically extendible rail assembly. It can beseen that as the door unit (22) swings from closed to fully openposition, the curved track (A9), which may be made of metal rod, pullsthe rollers (A10) which are attached to the end of rail element (A5).This makes the rail assembly extend automatically as the door unit (22)is opening and vice-versa. FIG. 14(b) shows the closed up sectiondetails of the roller assembly. The rollers (A10) are mounted on a smallplatform (A11) which is of the shape of inverted “L” and attached to endof rail element (A5). There is a gap between platform (A11) and railelement (A5) to maximise the utilisation of the rail assembly forhanging especially when the storage system is in fully closed condition.

There are, however, some shortcomings with the configuration shown inFIG. 14. For example, the user needs to ensure all the sheeted objectsare hung within the hanging space defined when the storage system is infully closed condition before the door unit (14) is closed from fullyopen condition. Without doing so, the closing action of the door unit(22), which swings about axis (23), tends to push the objects hung onthe extended portion of the rail assembly making the hung objects swingabout the rail which in turn results in crumpling of the hung object. Insome cases, this will hinder the closing of the door unit (22) as well.Because of that, it is desired to have a door closing action which isparallel to the sliding action of the hung objects so that when the dooris closing, it can collapse the rail assembly and concurrently push thehung objects towards back panel (12). Eventually, when the door isclosed, the rail assembly will be fully collapsed and the hung objectswill be within the hanging space defined when the storage system is infully closed condition. The door unit (72) of embodiment (70) shown inFIG. 15 exhibits this property. FIG. 15 shows the details of embodiment(70) which is provided with a telescopically extendible rail assembly.It is preferred to have side panel (14) acting as a door so that when itis opened it creates an additional opening to facilitate the browsingthrough, taking out or hanging of hung objects when the storage systemis open. FIG. 15(a) shows one of the possible configurations of sidepanel (14) acting as door which is joined to back panel (12) throughhinge (A12). To make the system more user-friendly, it is suggested herethat the rotational motion of side panel (14) be utilised to open frontpanel (11). In such a way, the system is opened with just the side panel(14) being rotated. FIG. 15(a) shows one of the possible mechanisms toachieve this. The mechanism consists of gear (A13) centered at (A12) andfixed to side panel (14) such that when panel (14) rotates, the gear(A13) rotates. Gear (A15), which is mounted on component (71), connectsto gear (A13) through gear (A14) which is also mounted on component(71). Thus, gear (A15) rotates the same direction as gear (A13). Thereare two arms (A16) and (A17) which are connected by hinge (A18). Theother end of arm (A16) is mounted to gear (A15) such that when gear(A15) rotates, arm (A16) rotates and the other end of arm (A17) ishinged to front panel (11) at (A19). With the above-mentionedconnectivity, when side panel (14) is opened/closed, it opens/closesfront panel (11). On the other hand, the opening/closing of front panel(11) also opens/closes side panel (14). With suitable selection of thesizes and locations of gears (A13), (A14) and (A15), the geometry ofarms (A16) and (A17), and the location of hinge (A17), it is possible todecide the maximum extent to which the storage system is open.

FIG. 15(b) shows another configuration in which the side panel (14)comprises two panels (14 a) and (14 b), designed as a folding door. Itis preferred to use the folding action of panel (14) to fully open orclose the storage system. FIG. 15(b) shows one of the possiblemechanisms to achieve this. The mechanism consists of two arms (A20) and(A21). Arm (A20) connects to panel (14 a) at one end through hinge(A22), to component (71) at the body through hinge (A23) and to end ofarm (A21) at the other end through hinge (A24). The other end off arm(A21) connects to front panel (11) through hinge (A25). Therefore, thefolding action of panel (14) will open front panel (11) and vice-versa.Likewise, the closing/opening of front panel (11) will unfold/fold panel(14). With suitable selection of the geometry of arms (A20) and (A21),and the locations of hinges (A23) and (A25), it is possible to decidethe maximum extent to which the storage system is open. It is understoodthat the two mechanisms mentioned above are just suggestions, and thatany workman of skill may employ with other mechanisms using commonlyavailable mechanical parts to achieve the same result, that is to havethe system fully closed or open by just the rotating/folding motion ofside panel (14). Alternatively, side panel (14) can be hinged to frontpanel (11) as shown in FIG. 15(c). In such a way, the storage system canbe opened/closed by pulling side panel (14) to the left/right.

The embodiments shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 are suitable for the case whenthe storage system is a free standing unit or an end unit (A16 a), asshown in FIG. 16, of a furniture system. The above described unit is notsuitable to be a middle unit (A16 b) because side panel (14) is notpermissible to open as a door hence the accessibility to hung objects isobstructed. In view of that, the front panel (11) is preferred to bemodified such that it consists of two smaller panels (11 a) and (11 b)as shown in FIG. 17(a). Metal slide (74) is to shift horizontallytowards panel (13) so that it is able to support panel (11 a) and leavepanel (11 b) to move freely. Therefore, the slides (73), (74) and railassembly are attached to panel (11 a) at one end and first component(71) at the other end. FIG. 17(a) shows one possible arrangement of thetwo panels (11 a) and (11 b) where panel (11 b) is connected to panel(11 a) through hinge (A26) so that panel (11 b) is able to rotate in ahorizontal plane. When the storage system is fully opened, panel (11 b)can be rotated to the front of panel (11 a) and hence an additionalopening is created which increases the accessibility to the hungobjects. To make the storage system more user-friendly, it is preferredto utilise the rotational action of panel (11 a) about hinge (A26) toopen or close the storage system. An additional swinging arm (A27) mayconnect to first component (71) through hinge (A28) at one end and topanel (11 b) through hinge (A29) at the other end as shown in FIG.17(a). This will enable the storage unit to be opened to theconfiguration shown in FIG. 17(a) with just the rotating action of panel(11 b) about hinge (A26). The arm (A27) is preferred to be slightlyextendible so that the rotating action of panel (11 b) about hinge (A26)can be established. FIG. 17(b) shows two initial rotating paths (A30)and (A31) of panel (11 b) and arm (A27) respectively. It should be notedthat path (A30) is movable horizontally and parallel to side panel (13)relative to embodiment (71), and (A31) is fixed relative to embodiment(71). It can be seen that path (A30) initially travels further from therotation path (A31) relative to hinge (A28). This means that in order toinitiate the mechanism of opening by rotating panel (11 b) about hinge(A26), panel (11 a) has to travel towards panel (12) first which is notpermissible, and thus the mechanism could not be initiated. If someprovisional extension is provided for arm (A27) along the straight linejoining (A26) and (A28) to overcome the portion where path (A30) travelsfurther from path (A31), then panel (11 b) is able to rotate about hinge(A26) and the mechanism can be initiated. When panel (11 b) rotatesbeyond point (A32), after which path (A30) travels shorter than path(A31) relative to hinge (A28), the rotational motion of panel (11 b)about hinge (A26) will pull panel (11 a) to the left. Finally, thestorage system will be fully open when panel (11 b) rotates to itsmaximum as shown in FIG. 17(a). With suitable selection of the geometryof arm (A27) and the locations of hinges (A28) and (A29), it is possibleto decide the maximum extent to which the storage system is opened.

FIG. 18 shows another possible arrangement of panels (11 a) and (11 b).In this instance, panel (11 b) is designed to be able to slide alongpanel (11 a) and hence the same extent of opening is provided as for theembodiment shown in FIG. 17 when the system is fully opened. It ispreferred to provide a swinging arm (A33) which connects panel (11 b) atone end through hinge (A34) and to embodiment (71) at the other endthrough hinge (A35). In this case, the system is opened by pulling panel(11 a) to the left and this action leads to the rotating of arm (A33)which in turn forces panel (11 b) to slide towards panel (11 a). Thus,when the storage system is fully opened, it looks like that shown inFIG. 18. With suitable selection of the geometry of arm (A33) and thelocation of hinge (A35), it is possible to decide the maximum extent towhich the storage system is open.

Beside having panel (11 b) attached to panel (11 a), panel (11 b) can beattached to component (71). As shown in FIG. (19), panel (11 b) attachesto a slide (A36) through hinge (A37). The slide (A36) slides along track(A37) which is mounted to embodiment (71). Therefore panel (11 b) can beopened by rotating it such that it is parallel to side panel (14), andsubsequently sliding it into embodiment (71) as shown in FIG. 19. Thiscreates same opening as that shown in FIG. 17 when the storage system isfully open. To make it more user-friendly, a mechanism may be includedsuch that when panel (11 a) is opened, it opens the whole system. FIG.19 shows one of the possible arrangements of the mechanism whichconsists of three arms (A39), (A40) and (A41). Arm (A39) connects toslide (A36) through hinge (A42) at one end and to end of arm (A40)through hinge (A43) at the other end. Arm (A40) connects to embodiment(71) through hinge (A44) at the body and to the end of arm (A41) throughhinge (A44) at the other end. Arm (A41) connects to panel (11 a) throughhinge (A46) at the other end. It can be observed from FIG. 19 that whenpanel (11 b) slides into embodiment (71), it rotates arm (A40) througharm (A39) about hinge (A44). In turn, the rotation of arm (A40) pushespanel (11 a) to the left through arm (A41) and the storage system isopened. With suitable selection of the geometry of arms (A39), (A40) and(A41), and the location of hinge (A44), it is possible to decide themaximum extent to which the storage system is opened. It is understoodthat the above-mentioned mechanisms to facilitate the opening of thestorage system shown in FIGS. 17, 18 and 19 are just suggestions, andany workman of skill may substitute other mechanisms using commonlyavailable mechanical parts to achieve the same results, whilst stillfalling within the scope of the invention.

Finally, it is to be understood that the inventive concept in any of itsaspects can be incorporated in many different constructions so that thegenerality of the preceding description is not to be superseded by theparticularity of the attached drawings. Various alterations,modifications and/or additions may be incorporated into the variousconstructions and arrangements of parts without departing from thespirit or ambit of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A storage system, comprising: a first componenthaving a rear panel and two side panels for providing a hanging spacefor receipt of sheeted objects; a second component having a front paneladapted to couple to the first component to define a storage unit, thefront panel mounted on a track for movement between an open and a closedcondition in a direction perpendicular to the rear panel; and a railassembly, including a main rail coupled to the first component at oneend, for hanging the sheeted objects therefrom when the second componentis in the closed condition and an extension portion coupled to thesecond component at the other end, the extension portion being coupledto and extendible relative to the main rail upon movement of the secondcomponent toward the open condition, whereby the rail assembly is in anextended condition, so as to increase the effective length of the railassembly and thereby increase the hanging space for the sheeted objectsto allow the sheeted objects to slide onto the extension portion inorder to spread the sheeted objects along the rail assembly when thesecond component is in an open condition.
 2. A system as claimed inclaim 1, wherein at least one of the components is provided with rollersupport.
 3. A system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the roller supportis provided on the second component.
 4. A system as claimed in claim 1,including a carriage assembly upon which the storage unit is mounted,the assembly allowing the storage unit to pivot from an upright to ahorizontal orientation and to be subsequently horizontally displaced forstorage.
 5. A system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the carriageassembly includes a platform, to which the storage unit is hingedlycoupled for movement between the upright and horizontal orientations andguide rails along which the platform slides for it to effect horizontaldisplacement of the storage unit.
 6. A system as claimed in claim 1,wherein a second rail assembly is coupled to the first component andarranged to extend, when the second component is in an open condition,substantially parallel to the first rail assembly.
 7. A system asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the storage unit includes at least one panelarranged for movement to enhance access to the sheeted objects hangingwithin the storage unit and coupled to the second component via alinkage opening mechanism such that movement of the panel results incorresponding movement of the second component toward the opencondition.
 8. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the main rail ofthe rail assembly is supported at another end by a support memberconnected to the first component, the support member engaging the mainrail from an underside thereof so as not to inhibit sliding movement ofa hanger between the main rail and the extension portion.
 9. A system asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the extension portion is telescopicallyextendible relative to the main rail.
 10. A storage system, comprising:a first component for providing a hanging space for receipt of sheetedobjects; a second component adapted to couple to the first component todefine a storage unit and movable between an open and a closedcondition; and a rail assembly, including a main rail coupled to thefirst component at one end, for hanging the sheeted objects therefromwhen the second component is in the closed condition and an extensionportion coupled to the second component at the other end, the extensionportion being extendible relative to the main rail upon movement of thesecond component toward the open condition, whereby the rail assembly isin an extended condition, so as to increase the effective length of therail assembly and thereby increase the hanging space for the sheetedobjects to allow the sheeted objects to slide onto the extension portionin order to spread the sheeted objects along the rail assembly when thesecond component is in an open condition, wherein the extension portioncomprises an articulated construction formed of at least one railelement pivotally connected to the main rail.
 11. A system as claimed inclaim 10, wherein a plurality of rail elements are provided, theelements being arranged to pivot in a substantially horizontal plane andfold into the space provided by the first component when the secondcomponent is in the closed condition.
 12. A system as claimed in claim11, wherein one of the elements, remote from the main rail when theextension portion is extended, is fixed in relation to the secondcomponent.
 13. A system as claimed in claim 11, wherein one of theelements, remote from the main rail when the extension portion isextended, is pivotally coupled to the second component.
 14. A system asclaimed in claim 13, wherein said one of the elements is ‘L’-shaped andcoupled to the second component adjacent a free edge thereof to hold aremainder of the rail assembly in spaced relation from the secondcomponent when the second component is in the open condition.
 15. Asystem as claimed in claim 10, wherein the second component is moved tothe open condition by rotating relative to the first component andincludes a guide track for receiving a roller provided at an end of theextension portion, to allow the extension portion to extend linearlyduring relative rotation of the second component while maintainingcoupling therebetween.
 16. A system as claimed in claim 10, wherein theat least one element is arranged to pivot in a substantially verticalplane.
 17. A system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the first componentincludes a rear panel, a side panel, and at least a roof portion of thestorage unit and the second component is in the form of a front panel,pivotally attached to the first component and includes a side panel andanother roof portion whereby, in a closed condition, the roof portionsof the first and second components provide a full roof panel.
 18. Asystem as claimed in claim 17, wherein the cast component is pivotallyattached to the second component by a hinge connection provided betweenthe side panel of the first component and the front panel of the secondcomponent.
 19. A system as in claim 10, wherein the first componentincludes a base panel and a rear panel, and the second componentincludes a front panel, hingedly attached to the base panel.
 20. Asystem as claimed in claim 19, wherein a support structure is providedfor supporting the extension portion above the front panel when thesecond component is in an open condition.
 21. A system as claimed inclaim 20, wherein the support structure includes a strut, pivotallymounted to the second component and pivotal from a storage position,when the second component is in a closed condition, to a supportingcondition, extending in a substantially upright manner with respect tothe front panel.